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Tombstone Tuesday – Priscilla Dawson and John Smith

This gravestone is at Holy Trinity Church, Cowling, West Yorkshire. It is the resting place of Priscilla Dawson, my 2x great grand aunt and her husband John Smith.

Priscilla was born in Cowling on 3 May 1824 to parents Thomas Dawson and Margaret Snowden. She was the third of nine children – 4 boys and 5 girls.

From the census returns it looks as though John Smith was also born around 1824 in Cowling. I haven’t done any research at all about John or his parents.

Priscilla and John married sometime in Q2 1848 and the marriage was registered in the Skipton district.

They had at least seven children between 1849 and 1867. I say at least because some of the gaps between the years suggest that there may have been other children born in between census returns that I have not yet found and who died as infants.

James – c1849

Ann – 1850

Peter William – c1855

Thomas – c1857

Joseph – c1859

John – c1860

Margaret – c1867

John appears to have worked either at home or in the local mill throughout his working life. His occupations included twister, overlooker in worsted factory, and warp dresser.

Priscilla died on 30 October 1891.

John survived for just over twelve more years and died on 24 January 1904.